Re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October
Congrats on a well-deserved win, Hoops!
You've given us an interesting new theme. I commented not so long ago elsewhere that something was 'very you', and I would say the same about this. How horribly appropriate that you get to choose the theme for October.
I already have the seed of an idea.
My vote in the challenge went to Mag the Mighty, in the end. As well as touching upon several of the sins and their 'deadly' nature, it offered a great illustration of the manner in which even heinous sins are often justified by their perpetrators, particularly during a war. And I liked what that told us about the character of the protagonist.
I was very close to voting for Teresa, whose writing style and use of language I always enjoy (I didn't get the 'stigmata' part, I must admit). Others on my shortlist were Talysia, Digs, The Judge and Hoopy.
And I loved Cul's piece, and would certainly have considered voting for it had it been more clearly a genre piece (though I'm not sure it would have worked as well in that case, and I very much admire it as it is).
Thanks to everyone who mentioned enjoying my poem, btw.
As for my other literary reference, it was to the
ubi sunt tradition, evoked by the opening sentence of my second stanza (
'Where now the palms that kneaded and the bright gold coins that turned?'). Perhaps the most famous example to those of us who read genre fiction is this:
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow.
Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning,
Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning?
